Sacrifice of Darkness: A Guardians of Eternity Novella

Dumpty.
Shaking his head, Javad tried to rid himself of the sluggish sensation. A mistake. The movement sent sharp pains through his injured brain. Damn. It’d been a long time since he’d cracked his skull. Not since his days in the fighting pits.
With a grimace, Javad forced open his eyes and glanced around.
He wasn’t surprised to discover that he was in a small, barren cell that looked as if it’d been chiseled out of the hard granite. Above him, the magical opening had closed to become a thick, impenetrable ceiling. And at the far end, a heavy silver door was set into the stone.
Had he stepped into a trap deliberately set for him? Or was it a general security system designed to keep demons from entering the fights without an invitation? And where was the aggravating gargoyle?
His foggy thoughts were abruptly forgotten when he caught the scent of rusted iron.
Vynom.
Javad caught the familiar sound of his sire’s heavy tread as the male vampire halted outside the cell. Javad’s former master stood six-foot-five, as tall as Styx the King of Vampires, with the same type of bulky muscles. He could make the ground shake when he walked. But his innate powers didn’t match his physical strength. Actually, he was one of the weakest demons Javad had ever known. To compensate, Vynom had become a cunning bully who used manipulation, deceit, and an utter lack of anything resembling morals to build his empire.
Javad surged upright. He would have to be dead not to meet his former master on his feet. At the same time, he reached for the silver dagger he’d holstered beneath his tunic before leaving Vegas.
Gone. Shit.
Vynom opened the door and entered the cell. His bald head gleamed in the muted light from the corridor, and his pale, square face looked as if it had been carved from the same gray granite as the cell. He wore a loose linen shirt that had a deep vee to reveal his broad chest and worn leather pants. Javad arched his brows. The last time he’d seen his ex-master, the male had been wearing the finest silks and velvets and drenched in gold and gems.
“Ah, my son. I’ve been waiting for you to drop in.” Bright green eyes glittered with mocking amusement and something else. Something Javad couldn’t decipher. “What took you so long?”
Javad folded his arms over his chest, pretending he hadn’t noticed that he was standing in the middle of a cramped cell.
“I was debating whether to come myself or send one of my servants.” He shrugged. “As Viper pointed out, it’s my underlings’ responsibility to deal with the trash.”
“Viper.” The name was spat like a curse. Clearly, no love lost between the two ancient vampires. “How is your new master?”
“Successful. Sane. Deliriously happy with his new mate.”
Vynom’s lips twisted with unmistakable envy. “I suppose good things happen when you’re the Anasso’s favorite pet. Personally, I’ve never been willing to kiss ass to get what I want.”
“No, you just brutally torture those you should be protecting,” Javad taunted.
“Brutally torture? That’s a little melodramatic, isn’t it?”
“Says the male who never stepped into the fighting cage.”
Vynom shrugged. “I’m a capitalist who understands that we all have our skill sets. Mine is to make lots of money. Yours is to make creatures bleed.”
Javad clenched his fangs. Vynom had a unique ability to piss him off. He couldn’t afford to be goaded into losing his temper right now, though. Not when he didn’t know how he’d gotten into the cell. Or how the hell he was going to get out.
Instead, he lazily glanced around his barren surroundings. Fighting pits were always dirty and smelly and chaotic. Still, as Vynom’s fortunes had risen, he’d started taking pride in hosting his battles in elegant establishments. He chose the grandest cities and recreated the architectural style of the local palaces. It was a subtle way to make the demons attending the fights feel as if they were royalty.
“Looks like your skill set is slipping,” Javad goaded his sire. “Since when do you host competitions in dusty holes in the middle of the desert?” He returned his gaze to the older vampire, taking in the male’s simple clothing. “And since when do you dress like a cast member from Les Misérables?”
The vampire’s green eyes flared with fury, the scent of rust becoming choking in the air. Then, clenching his hands into tight fists, Vynom struggled to regain command of his temper.
“I’ll admit, there have been setbacks since you abandoned me. But that’s all about to change.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” Vynom assured him. “You, my son, are about to replenish my empty coffers.”
Dread curled in the pit of Javad’s stomach. “Doubtful.”
“It’s already been arranged.”
“What has?”
“The fight of the millennium.”
“Fight of the millennium?” Javad rolled his eyes. It sounded like a cheesy reality show. Or an 80s band. “Catchy.”
“And true.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that.”
“I don’t need luck.” Vynom stepped forward, a smile curving his lips. “Just you in the cage.”
“Just me? Damn. I’m more popular than I realized. Do you want me to sing a song or do a dance?” Javad mocked. “I’ll warn you that I’m tone-deaf, but my singing is still better than my dancing.”
“I want you to battle against Frack. To the death.”
Frack. Acid curled through Javad’s stomach. The massive orc had been fighting for centuries. Not only was he a full-blooded orc who stood over seven feet tall, he also had plates of armor magically embedded in his skin to protect his vital organs. And he was nucking futs. When he wasn’t in the cage to fight, his owner kept him shackled and chained to the wall to prevent him from creating utter carnage.
The ground shook beneath his feet. It was Javad’s power, however, that caused the small quakes. Unlike Vynom, who weighed as much as a small tank.
“Not gonna happen.”
Vynom took a step back. He was greedy, immoral, and brutally selfish, but he wasn’t stupid.
“It’s already scheduled,” he informed Javad. “In fact, the crowd started arriving last night.